Web Wonders

Troutner, Joanne, Teacher Librarian

You have survived the school year! Summer is in sight. Consider spending some time browsing these sites in preparation for next year.

http://www.issues2000.org/

This site presents a wide range of information on presidential candidates. Students can take a quiz to see which candidate they prefer based on the issues. Candidate stances on issues such as abortion, civil rights, crime, gun control, education, tax reform and others are illustrated by quotes from speeches. "News this week" provides quick overviews. A short resume, background information, quotations and news clips on the issues are included on each candidate. The primary schedule and voting results are also provided.

http://tln.lib.mi.us/~amutch/jen/

Reading Rants is a superb set of reading lists on topics teens really enjoy. For example, Deadheads and Moshpits contain seven entries for books about being in a band. The annotations are short, to the point and attract teen readers. Other lists available are a Top Ten list, weight and eating disorders, spiritual issues, biographies, vampire fiction, best boy reads and others. My guess is your summer reading list may expand after checking out this site.

http://memory.loc.gov/

Spend some time exploring the riches of the American Memory site during the summer. Begin with the Learning Page. Here you will find features on elections, immigration, inaugurations, presidents, Thanksgiving and women pioneers. These features include a number of options for crafting social studies and interdisciplinary units. Next check out the Activities link. Here are four delightful options designed to help students build information literacy skills. One option has the user uncover the stories of immigrants to the U.S. Finally, peruse the section on lesson ideas for any number of teaching units already created for your use.

http://www.rmcdenver.com/useguide/

Travel through this site, the Teachers' Internet Use Guide. Here is a complete guide to developing standards-based lessons using Internet resources. A PowerPoint presentation guides trainers through using the site. Sample lessons in the core subject areas are available. Be sure to check out the assessment links and materials.

http://www.websmartkids.org/activies.htm

Looking for activities to help students evaluate information found on the Internet? Check out the media literacy activities for parents and kids at this site. Here youngsters move through a series of sessions that help them evaluate web sites and make them understand the marketing ploys used on the Internet. The resource links are also worth a look.

http://www.closeup.org/untangle.htm

You may also want to check out the web evaluation lesson found at this site. The materials include a PowerPoint presentation as well as activities, handouts and suggested sites to evaluate.

http://www.webexhibits.com/

Another site you will want to visit as you plan for the new school year is WebExhibits. Here is an excellent directory of web sites on creative arts, ancient world, discovery & expedition, society & culture, health & medicine, environment, science & technology, and academic subjects. This site is also searchable by topic. The sites are easily accessed through a directory structure. Each layer includes several reviewed sites with short, well-written annotations, including the name of the web site creator.

http://www.icom.org/vlmp

Also visit the Virtual Museum Library pages. …

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